Chapter 141: Bian Yang Actually Needs a Great Deal of Love

Tang Yu pursed her lips.

In truth, she had only managed to uncover the timeline of Qi Mingwan’s hospitalization and the little girl’s surgery. The two events had followed one another with almost no gap. Therefore, the idea that "Aunt Qi fell ill right after the little girl’s surgery and grew worse by the day, beyond all control" was merely her own conjecture, one that had never been proven.

Yet, Qi Mingzhou’s reaction confirmed that she was vaguely closing in on the truth. Otherwise, he would have immediately refuted her claims rather than struggling to contain his emotions and silencing her.

So… was it truly because of that surgery?

The assistant walked up to Tang Yu. "Miss, please, this way."

Tang Yu stood up slowly. Looking at Qi Mingzhou’s retreating back, she couldn't help but raise her voice. "If Aunt Qi’s condition was an accident resulting from that surgery, and not a terminal illness, why couldn't you tell Bian Yang?"

If she told Bian Yang, the misunderstanding between him and Uncle Bian could be resolved. If she told him that Aunt Qi didn't refuse to see him for the last time because she disliked him, he could finally emerge from his endless cycle of self-reproach and guilt.

Qi Mingzhou let out a long sigh, his gaze fixed on the window. "Child, this matter is not as simple as you think. It was my sister’s dying wish that no one should pursue it further. You should go home."

He spoke with great calm, but his low, heavy voice betrayed the turmoil within him.

"Miss, please. Don't make things difficult for Mr. Qi." The assistant’s tone grew sterner.

Tang Yu’s voice turned hoarse, and her eyes finally reddened. "When Bian Yang saw Aunt Qi for the last time, they argued fiercely. Later, when she was hospitalized and refused to see him, he always blamed himself."

"He hasn't been doing well. He isn't as tough as he pretends to be. He acts so arrogant, but in reality, he stands in the rain alone, cries in secret, and processes his pain in solitude. Bian Yang... he actually needs so much love."

"But Aunt Qi and Uncle Bian thought he was too strong. You all thought he was too strong, when he was clearly longing for you so much..." She lowered her long lashes, her voice trembling slightly. "You all loved him so much, yet you didn't even let him say a proper goodbye to Aunt Qi. Have you ever really considered what he needed?"

***

Qi Mingzhou remained silent for a long time, his silhouette looking lonely.

Tang Yu was escorted out of the office. Qi Mingzhou sat in his chair, his head tilted back, staring blankly at the ceiling. Over and over, his mind conjured the image of his sister, withered and gaunt before her passing.

Qi Mingwan loved Bian Yang deeply, which was why she would not let him see her at her most vulnerable. She was not wrong, but Bian Yang, who only wanted to see his mother one last time, was not wrong either. A happy family had now fallen into pieces, and everyone had become so miserable.

In the quiet office, he murmured, "Sister, tell me, what was the right thing to do?"

***

Qi Mingzhou had assumed Tang Yu would give up after hitting a wall once. To his surprise, the next day, she arrived with books and a small blanket, "setting up camp" in the sofa area downstairs at his company.

Every morning, she would greet him, "Good morning, Uncle Qi." When he left for the day, she would stand up and say, "See you tomorrow, Uncle Qi."

The receptionist told him the girl was incredibly persistent. When she was hungry, she ordered takeout and cleaned the table thoroughly afterward. When she was thirsty, she filled her own water bottle with the company’s hot water. Then, she would sit on the sofa and read silently. Except for trips to the restroom, she stayed there all day, very well-behaved.

Once, when Qi Mingzhou was away on a business trip for several days, he instinctively looked toward the sofa area upon his return. The young girl was sitting there quietly, cradling a book. Seeing him, she immediately beamed with a bright, clean smile and greeted him.

By now, the entire company knew her.

Qi Mingzhou rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. Bian Yang’s girlfriend was stubborn beyond belief.

A week later, unable to bear it any longer, Qi Mingzhou had his assistant bring her into his office. As Tang Yu entered, he was busy with paperwork. Hearing her, he looked up. "You come here every day; doesn't Bian Yang mind?"

"I told him I was in seclusion to study and wasn't taking dates."

Tang Yu walked to the opposite side of his desk, her eyes asking if she could sit. Qi Mingzhou chuckled. "You didn't ask for my opinion when you occupied my company every day, but now you’re asking?"

Tang Yu sat down, looking a bit embarrassed, her fabric bag neatly placed on her lap. "I am very sorry for the trouble I have caused you during this time."

Qi Mingzhou laughed despite himself. "It hasn't been a trouble, but I know that even if I chased you away every single time, you would still come back." He asked, "What would you like to drink?"

Tang Yu shook her head. She asked, "Uncle Qi, are you trying to persuade me to give up?"

Qi Mingzhou closed his eyes and spoke slowly. "I will tell you the truth, because once you know it, you will naturally give up."

Tang Yu’s breathing slowed.

The office fell silent, filled only by Qi Mingzhou’s raspy voice.

"The little girl you saw was named Yingying. At the end of the year, she was rushed to the hospital where Bian Yang’s mother worked due to a sudden, acute illness. The situation was critical; there was no time to wait for test results, and surgery was mandatory. However, the child’s parents, fearing the hospital would refuse to admit her, hid the fact that the child had a history of HIV. During the surgery, the child hemorrhaged severely..." He paused, his voice dropping significantly. "The blood splattered into the surgeon’s eyes, causing HIV exposure."

Tang Yu’s fingers tightened, and her breath hitched.

"The surgery lasted twelve hours. By the time the test results came back, the hospital staff realized the patient was HIV-positive. Because of the intense physical strain of the surgery, my sister collapsed immediately after finishing the final stitches. The post-exposure prophylaxis was forced down her throat by a nurse."

Qi Mingzhou curled his lips in a bitter smile. "But it was already too late."

Tang Yu’s throat felt as if something were lodged in it, making it difficult to speak. "If it was within twenty-four hours, couldn't it have been completely blocked?"

"We wanted that hundred-percent prevention more than anyone else, but unfortunately, someone as good as she was became that 0.1 percent..."

Qi Mingzhou lowered his voice. "My sister had suffered from inflammatory myopathy since childhood, and her immune system had always been poor. On top of that, she was having a flare-up of her old illness at the time. She had already submitted a leave request, but at that moment, my sister was the only doctor in the hospital capable of performing that little girl’s surgery."

His voice was strained, his heart aching with pain. "God truly has a cruel sense of humor. If she had left the hospital a day earlier, if she hadn't been so kind as to insist on finishing that surgery, perhaps she wouldn't have..."

Qi Mingzhou pressed his forehead with both hands, his voice thick with congestion. "The HIV quickly paralyzed her immune system. A week later, she could only stay in the intensive care unit, breathing with the help of a ventilator. We watched her grow thinner and more withered day by day, yet we were powerless to help...

"And the little girl’s mother—who was also a patient my sister had once saved—perhaps out of guilt, or perhaps out of fear that the hospital and my brother-in-law would hold her responsible, jumped... from the top of the hospital building."